It has been a busy fall here at HBS! Reunions went off without a hitch in early October (be sure to note the photos on page 14), the Alumni Board had a productive meeting on October 16 and 17, and record numbers of alumni volunteers plan to return to campus for a conference on November 13 and 14. The latter will incorporate updates on School initiatives and provide hands-on training and resources for HBS volunteers. We are grateful to all volunteers- class correspondents, fund agents, club officers, reunion committee members, and career liaisons- for the important work they do on behalf of the School and their fellow alumni.

I wanted to take a moment to update you on the work of the Alumni Board, a group drawn from the greater pool of HBS volunteers who represent the interests of the alumni body and those of the School. As you know, the Board meets here on campus three times a year to hear from administrators and faculty about current School initiatives as well as to work in committees on issues that are relevant to alumni connectedness. This year, the Board has identified three specific areas for committee work.

Marketing to HBS Alumni Chaired by Judith R. Haberkorn (111th AMP)

Starting from the premise that successful communication with some 65,000 HBS alumni is essential to optimize the relationship between HBS and its constituents, this committee will examine the existing channels of communication to current students and alumni and make recommendations to ensure that HBS is reaching its alumni in the most effective manner. In particular, the committee will focus on how best to market the annual Global Alumni Conferences' resources for international alumni and how best to use HBS volunteers to market alumni services and programs.

Continuing Education Chaired by Edmund A. Hajim (MBA '64)

Continuing education (lifelong learning) has emerged as one of the School's highest priorities and can be viewed as one of the major building blocks for long-term connectedness to the School. This committee will continue to define continuing education and will focus on design and delivery of specific programs via two forums-reunions and Global Alumni Conferences. The group's longer-term mandate is to determine how and when to deliver these programs to the largest audience in the most efficient manner.

HBS Clubs Chaired by Vasil J. Pappas, Jr. (MBA '76)

Both domestic and international clubs continue to face the challenges of producing viable levels of membership, activities, and finances. This committee hopes to recommend and implement several initiatives that will provide club officers with the systems support to make the task of club administration easier, more efficient, and perhaps more standardized. Particular focus will be given to facilitating communication between clubs, developing communal software platforms to be shared among clubs, and creating an easily accessible archive of "best practices."

These committees will be meeting throughout the academic year and would be grateful for your input and suggestions; feel free to contact any of the committee chairs.

In the meantime, our sights are set on South Africa in the spring. I hope you have made plans to attend the next Global Alumni Conference, "Managing Development: The African Renaissance," to be held in Cape Town, March 21­23, 1999. This promises to be an extraordinary gathering of political, civic, and business leaders (see article on page 24). Hurry to sign up, as space is limited. I look forward to seeing you there!

Charles F. Milner, Jr. (MBA '65) November 1998

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